I am excited to report that North Central College has welcomed its largest-ever incoming class of new students and achieved the highest total enrollment in its 164-year history.
A total of 921 new undergraduate students enrolled for the fall 2025 semester, including 657 first-year students and 264 transfer students from 31 U.S. states and 36 countries. A record total of 3,179 students (2,632 undergraduate and 547 graduate) enrolled for the start of the 2025-26 academic year. This is the second consecutive year of record total enrollment.
The numbers affirm that students and families see tremendous value in what a North Central education offers: innovative academic programs, personalized support, and a vibrant campus community in the world-class city of Naperville.
At North Central, students choose from more than 90 undergraduate majors across our College of Arts and Sciences; School of Business and Entrepreneurship; and School of Education and Health Sciences. Health science, biology, economics, engineering, marketing, psychology, kinesiology, and biology are popular majors. In addition, students who wish to pursue learning beyond a bachelor’s degree can choose from 25 master’s, doctoral and certificate programs in education, business, leadership, writing, and athletic training, in addition to advanced clinical practice programs such as occupational therapy, physician assistant studies, physical therapy, and nursing.
Across all disciplines, our curriculum is rooted in the liberal arts, which means that North Central students gain intellectual abilities and core skills that employers look for in any profession, such as curiosity, critical thinking, communication, creativity, empathy, and ethics. Just as important, our faculty and staff encourage and mentor students to grow outside the classroom: intern with an area employer, engage in cutting-edge research, lead a student organization, study abroad — or excel as a student-athlete within our nationally recognized NCAA Division III athletics program.
Transformative experiences and relationships are inherent to the learning journey at North Central. While we celebrate record enrollment, no one is a number here. If you know a young person who is looking for something more in a higher education experience, I invite you to tour our beautiful campus and learn more about what makes this place so special.
